Northwest Frontier (1959)
Country: GB
Technical: col/scope 129m
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Cast: Kenneth Moore, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde White, I. S. Johar
Synopsis:
During the Muslim revolt of 1900 a British officer attempts to smuggle the infant hindu prince eastwards to safety in the last remaining worn out locomotive. An assorted band of individuals, one of whom is a Muslim sympathiser, makes the dangerous journey with him.
Review:
Classy adventure with a classic narrative structure (cf. Stagecoach) and a perfect cast, save for the somewhat anachronistic presence of Bacall's emancipated governess, as usual sidestepped by making her an American. The scenes of dialogue on board the train explore issues such as the British presence in India and the morality of reporting and armsdealing with more than customary rigour, and Thompson directs with an eye for telling details and a feel for the spectacular possibilities of his setting, each sequence faultlessly blocked, with rapid cutting to cover any gaps. As late as 1986 this was still being shown on BBC1 in the early evening slot.
Country: GB
Technical: col/scope 129m
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Cast: Kenneth Moore, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde White, I. S. Johar
Synopsis:
During the Muslim revolt of 1900 a British officer attempts to smuggle the infant hindu prince eastwards to safety in the last remaining worn out locomotive. An assorted band of individuals, one of whom is a Muslim sympathiser, makes the dangerous journey with him.
Review:
Classy adventure with a classic narrative structure (cf. Stagecoach) and a perfect cast, save for the somewhat anachronistic presence of Bacall's emancipated governess, as usual sidestepped by making her an American. The scenes of dialogue on board the train explore issues such as the British presence in India and the morality of reporting and armsdealing with more than customary rigour, and Thompson directs with an eye for telling details and a feel for the spectacular possibilities of his setting, each sequence faultlessly blocked, with rapid cutting to cover any gaps. As late as 1986 this was still being shown on BBC1 in the early evening slot.
Country: GB
Technical: col/scope 129m
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Cast: Kenneth Moore, Lauren Bacall, Herbert Lom, Wilfrid Hyde White, I. S. Johar
Synopsis:
During the Muslim revolt of 1900 a British officer attempts to smuggle the infant hindu prince eastwards to safety in the last remaining worn out locomotive. An assorted band of individuals, one of whom is a Muslim sympathiser, makes the dangerous journey with him.
Review:
Classy adventure with a classic narrative structure (cf. Stagecoach) and a perfect cast, save for the somewhat anachronistic presence of Bacall's emancipated governess, as usual sidestepped by making her an American. The scenes of dialogue on board the train explore issues such as the British presence in India and the morality of reporting and armsdealing with more than customary rigour, and Thompson directs with an eye for telling details and a feel for the spectacular possibilities of his setting, each sequence faultlessly blocked, with rapid cutting to cover any gaps. As late as 1986 this was still being shown on BBC1 in the early evening slot.